A blast of Canadian air is expected to drop temperatures close to the freezing mark at the beginning of next week, and that could mean snow showers or something called graupel, a cross between hail and snow.

The forecast calls for highs in the 50s on Saturday, 60s on Sunday and 50s on Monday. But Monday and Tuesday nights the temperature could get down to the low 30s--Maybe even the upper 20s in some areas, depending on the cloud cover and winds.

"That's when it could get interesting," Castro said. "Maybe graupel during the day Monday." That could change to snow shows by the night, but Castro cautioned that the chances are low.

The record low for Oct. 21 is 26, set in 1952. For Oct. 22, it's 22, also set in 1982.

According to the Chicago Weather Center, strong, northwesterly winds will bring Canadian air surging across the Midwest and Great Lakes region over the next week.

The air will get frigid enough Tuesday through Thursday to trigger lake-effect precipitation downwind of Lake Michigan, the weather center said.

One of the worst storms in Chicago history (currently the third worst) touched down Tuesday and continues today. Cars.coms editorial staff took to the street, and, in some cases, their own driveways, to find some amazing shots of cars stuck in the snow.

More than 20 inches of snow fell in some parts of the Chicago area, starting Feb. 1, 2011. Power outages, school and business closings, motorists stranded on roadways, and public transit disruptions complicated life in the city and suburbs.

A Civil War-period coat worn by a nurse — a woman from a prominent Mathews County family who some believe was the only woman to be commissioned as a captain in the Confederate Army — is among the nominees for Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program.

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — The Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS John Warner, adding a 12th Virginia-class submarine to the fleet and celebrating the legacy of its namesake, the retired senator who was hailed as a statesman.